President Donald Trump held a rally in Park City, Kansas, on Monday night to support Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, who is facing a surprisingly close race against Democratic challenger Adam Hamilton. With just two weeks remaining before the election, Trump launched a series of personal attacks against Hamilton and reasserted anti-immigration and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
The contest has drawn national attention due to the possibility of a Democratic victory, which would break Kansas's 94-year streak of electing Republican senators.
During the rally, Trump referred to Hamilton, a pastor and founder of a large United Methodist congregation, as a "bad person" and a "disgrace" who is "pretending to be a moderate."
Trump also intensified his criticism of Muslim figures, including Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, urging the crowd to vote Republican to preserve the United States' "heritage." He referred to El-Sayed as "Mohammed," stating, "I can call him whatever the hell I want." El-Sayed previously told ABC News that his faith is used as a distraction by Republicans.
The president defended Marshall against recent reporting that, as an OB/GYN, he had sued over 700 patients for unpaid medical bills and sought arrest warrants for some who missed court dates. Marshall has denied the report. Trump described the situation as Marshall being "mandated by law to request strongly money owed from patients" and claimed he was given a "bum rap."
Trump predicted that Republicans would retain control of Congress, dismissing national polls and referencing his 2016 presidential victory as evidence that pollsters can be incorrect.
A spokesperson for Hamilton's campaign stated that Marshall and Trump were attempting to distract from key issues such as rising gas prices, healthcare costs, and government corruption, and that Kansans are seeking a senator who will represent their interests.
Earlier on Monday, news broke that a local man would face federal charges for allegedly threatening to shoot the president ahead of his rally in Wichita.